Duck Dynasty on the A&E Network

Photo courtesy of the A&E Network

The Duck Dynasty TV show features the family of Phil Robertson, a close-knit, church-going Louisiana bayou group living the American dream as they operate the thriving Duck Commander business, while maintaining their family values and lifestyle.

Duck Dynasty was filmed in the Monroe area of northeast Louisiana, and aired on the A&E Network which premiered the show in March of 2012.

The show, produced for A&E Networks by Gurney Productions, ended 2012 as the most watched A&E telecast of all time with 6.5 million viewers.

In 2013, Duck Dynasty became the top-rated reality program on cable, with an average 13.4 million viewers.

Season 11 of Duck Dynasty premiered in November of 2016 on A&E. This was the final season for Duck Dynasty, with the final episode airing in the spring of 2017.

Duck Dynasty Season 10 "Blast" Teaser - A&E

About the Company: Duck Commander

Map showing filming locations of Duck Dynasty and other TV shows filmed in Louisiana ... see larger map below on this page

A homegrown mom-and-pop operation in northeast Louisiana, Duck Commander has grown into a sporting empire by manufacturing high quality duck calls and duck decoys out of salvaged swamp wood. While some might think the Robertsons to be a bit eccentric, they are in fact a loving family that has built a strong, reputable business.

The family has also expanded their focus from only waterfowl to create an allied business in 2006, Buck Commander, dealing with the deer hunting industry.

The company was organized in the 1970s by Phil Robertson.

Duck Commander Warehouse and Gift Shop Location

The Duck Commander offices, warehouse, and retail outlet - gift shop are located in West Monroe, Louisiana, at 117 Kings Lane, off Thomas Road, about five blocks south of Interstate Highway I-20. (see map below on this page)

Today, the Duck Commander offices and gift store have become a popular tourist attraction. Many people traveling on nearby Interstate Highway I-20 stop there to take photos in the front of the building, and maybe even have their photo taken with one of the cast members!

About Duck Commander

Located at 117 Kings Lane, off Thomas Road, about five blocks south of Interstate Highway I-20.

The gift shop has a variety of items for sale, including T-shirts, caps, apparel, duck calls, posters, cook books, DVDs, and more.

The Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau now offers a mobile website to guide visitors around the West Monroe to various locales where episodes were filmed. See discussion below for details.

Duck Dynasty Family and Cast of Characters

The Robertson family has filmed Duck Dynasty at locations throughout Ouachita Parish in the Monroe and West Monroe area (see details below).

The men on the show sport their signature "ZZ Top" beards, and are usually seen wearing camouflage outfits when shooting the scenes for the show.

Phil Robertson

Phil Robertson is the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, a living legend in Louisiana in earlier years, and today as well.

As a high-school athlete at North Caddo High School in Vivian, Phil was All-State in football, baseball, and track which afforded him the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship. He fielded offers to play football at LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor and Rice, but chose Louisiana Tech so he could remain close to his home town of Vivian.

He played first-string quarterback ahead of football star Terry Bradshaw at Tech in nearby Ruston in the late 1960s. I remember it well ... I too was a student at Tech at that time!

See photos of Phil below taken during his football career at Louisiana Tech.

Phil Robertson in the 1967 Louisiana Tech yearbook

Phil and Terry were both drafted into the NFL. Phil did not enter the NFL, but stayed in Louisiana, married his high school sweetheart, Miss Kay, and built a house on the Ouachita River, where they raised four sons: Alan, Willie, Jase, and Jep.

Terry Bradshaw, of course, went on to success with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowls, and is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But Phil earned his own success; his love for the outdoors lead him to create the Duck Commander® Duck Call in 1973, the most trusted duck whistle ever conceived and manufactured.

Phil worked as a schoolteacher for several years after graduating from Tech. He also earned his master’s degree in education via night classes, with a concentration in English.

Not satisfied with the duck calls on the market, Phil began making a call that would reproduce the exact sound of a duck. His home became the "factory" where the calls were assembled, packaged, and shipped. Phil traveled store to store in the early days marketing his new duck call, with most ending in rejections. He persevered at marketing, and his hard work paid off. Today, Duck Commander products, including a successful line of videos, are sold in all 50 states and in several countries.

Phil Robertson has also built a reputation all over the country for his faith and belief in the Lord God Almighty. He speaks to hundreds of different churches and organizations every year, explaining what the Lord has done for him, and can do for them.

Miss Kay Robertson

Miss Kay is the revered matriarch of the Duck Dynasty family. What she says goes. She was 16 when she married Phil and since then she’s been keeping him and the boys from spending too much time in the woods, bringing them back to civilization each night with a home cooked meal.

Miss Kay believes her cooking talents are a gift which she must share, so she often ends up feeding all of the family and most of the neighborhood. Her most famous dishes are banana pudding, fried deer steak, crawfish pie, and sticky frog legs.

Phil and Kay have four sons: Alan (the oldest), Willie, Jase and Jep (the youngest).

Willie Robertson

Louisiana ducks and waterfowl ...
what Duck Commander is all about!

Willie Robertson is the CEO of Duck Commander. He is a graduate of nearby University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) with a Bachelor's Degree in Health & Human Performance with an emphasis on business. Using this degree, Willie has grown the company from a living room operation by the river to an outdoors corporate giant. Willie has been CEO of the company for about 10 years.

He also produces and stars in a number of outdoor TV shows, and a popular series of DVDs.

Korie Robertson

Korie, Willie’s wife and business partner, has helped him grow the company into an ever-expanding enterprise, and serves as the Duck Commander office manage. Korie met Willie in the third grade, and got married a year after high school.

Korie and Willie have five children: John Luke, Sadie, Lil' Will, Bella, and a foster daughter named Rebecca. John Luke and Sadie have been featured in several episodes, including two Season 2 shows entitled "Driving Miss Sadie" and "Truck Commander".

Sadie Robertson

Sadie Robertson has also successfully competed in several episodes of "Dancing with the Stars" Season 19 in 2014.

A devout Christian, the 17-year old says that her secret to staying calm before and during her dance routines is "turning to God". Sadie's dad, Willie Robertson, approves each of her costume choices.

"DWTS" airs on ABC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET

Sadie has also been designing a clothing line that includes prom dresses in partnership with Sherri Hill. She also worked as a model during the Sherri Hill Fashion Week.

She was born on June 17, 1997, and attends Ouachita Christian School in Monroe.

Jase Robertson

Jase Robertson is Willie’s brother and his polar opposite. While Willie enjoys making deals behind the desk, Jase would much rather be out in the swamp hunting ducks. Jase’s job within the company is to fabricate the duck calls that have made Duck Commander famous. When pressed, Jase can churn out a thousand new calls in a flash, but he likes to take his time so that Willie doesn’t expect the same performance every day.

Missy Robertson

Jase has been married for 21 years to Missy, whom he met in high school. Jase and Missy have three children, one of whom, Cole, has been featured on the show. Phil affectionately calls this grandson "Cole Man".

Si Robertson

Si, aka "Uncle Si", is Phil’s brother, best friend, and partner in crime. Si fashions the reeds that are inserted in every patented duck call. It’s a pretty easy job, made needlessly difficult by the fact that Si can never seem to stay on task.

The Vietnam vet will often share his war stories with the guys, which usually gets the crew behind schedule, much to Willie’s dismay. He starts many sentences with his now well-known line "Hey!", and his favorite drink is iced tea from an old blue glass.

Si's new book hit the market on September 3, 2013, entitled "Si-cology 1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle ".

Jep Robertson

Jeptha "Jep" Robertson is the youngest of Phil and Kay's four sons, and the video expert in the family. He functions as cameraman and video/DVD editor. He's married to Jessica, and they have four children.

Alan Robertson

Alan Robertson is the oldest of the four sons, and he returned to the family business in 2012 after working for 22 years as a pastor at the church the family attends in the Monroe area. Alan is married to Lisa, and joined the TV series for Season 4 in August of 2013.

Family Friends and Co-Workers

Also seen on the series are family friends and co-workers, including John Godwin, a worker at Duck Commander since 2002. Justin Martin also works at Duck Commander. And slow-talking Mountain Man, a neighbor, appears in several episodes, working his magic with air conditioners, and running a radio talk show.

Filming Locations Around West Monroe

Many of the Duck Dynasty episodes are filmed at the Duck Commander warehouse and offices at 117 Kings Lane, off Thomas Road in West Monroe.

Other episodes have been filmed around the Monroe and West Monroe area.

Those of us that regularly watch the show know about those other filming locations, such as Haskell’s Donuts, Excalibur Family Fun Center and Landry Vineyards. We remember the Twin City Pawn Shop, Debbie's Snowballs, the Corner Coffee House, and of course the Bridal Shop & King of Hearts!

And the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced the “Official Duck Commander Hometown Tour”. The tour includes a brochure and mobile website (see link at the bottom of this page) that features 26 locations filmed during the first three seasons of the show.

Phil Robertson ... the Star Louisiana Tech Football Quarterback

Phil Robertson was a star quarterback at Louisiana Tech in Ruston during the late 1960s. We watched him play for the Tech Bulldogs when we were also attending Tech. Shown below are excerpts from the Louisiana Tech yearbook, the "Lagniappe", showing Phil in his football days.

Louisiana Tech Lagniappe Yearbook, 1968
Standing in the back row, at left ... Terry Bradshaw
Back row, third from left ... Phil Robertson

Louisiana Tech sophomore quarterback Phil Robertson throwing a pass during a 1966 game

Let's Bow Our Heads and Say a Prayer

The McKaig Chevrolet pickup with Duck Commander Logo

Together, the family members run a booming business that employs half their neighborhood, but at the end of the day, you can find the whole family around Miss Kay's dinner table.

The family motto has always been "God, Family and Ducks". And Phil leads the family as they say grace and give thanks at the table, a tradition we like and respect! Every Duck Dynasty episode ends with a prayer.

McKaig designs custom trucks seen on the Duck Commander DVDs, and on the TV series "Duck Dynasty".

Interview with Willie Robertson and Korie Robertson(Video on YouTube uploaded by AETV)

Duck Hunting in Louisiana

Louisiana has perfect habitats for hunting ducks and waterfowl

Louisiana is the most important wintering area for waterfowl in the United States. Hordes of ducks and geese have utilized the coastal bays and marshes, flooded swamps, agricultural fields, inland lakes, river backwaters and oxbows for hundreds of years.

Those habitats provide for the needs of a large proportion of Mississippi Flyway waterfowl during migration and winter, and for those of breeding wood ducks, mottled ducks, and a growing number of whistling ducks. The wetlands of Louisiana and their associated waterfowl attract hunters, birdwatchers, and scientists alike.

Waterfowl hunting is incredibly popular in Louisiana, and the harvest ranks at or near the top in the entire nation. That duck-hunting activity brings a lot of economic activity to the State. Hunters spend money on guns, ammunition, gasoline, clothing, duck blinds, lodging, transportation, and yes, duck calls and duck decoys!